The recent arrest of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra has sent shock waves through India’s intelligence and diplomatic communities. But beneath the headlines and secret messages is a more nuanced character—Danish, the reserved Pakistan High Commission staffer whose charm, tact, and connections were at the center of a widening spy scandal.
Jyoti Malhotra, a popular travel vlogger with her channel Travel With Jo, is accused of spying on behalf of Pakistan during Op Sindoor, India’s retaliation following the terror strike at Pahalgam. Investigators say that she sent sensitive information to handlers through end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. But it is her connection with Danish that gave the case a serious diplomatic twist.
Man Behind the Alias
Few knew Danish by his actual name—Ehsan-ur-Rahim. He worked in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, going unnoticed amidst official receptions and consular work. To the world outside, he was a middle-ranking diplomat, helping with visa formalities and cultural outreach. To Indian intelligence agencies, he became something more: an alleged intelligence officer operating under cover of diplomacy.
Danish’s activities were questioned not through any sting operation, but through a YouTube video. In a vlog posted by Jyoti Malhotra in March 2023, she mentioned attending an Iftar party at the Pakistani mission. The video shows her greeting Danish warmly, talking to his wife, and mingling with officials of the embassy casually. She smiles, appreciates the hospitality, and even invites the pair to her residence in Hisar, Haryana.
On first blush, it seemed like the embodiment of cultural diplomacy. But as the probe went deeper, officials began seeing the tape differently. It wasn’t an impromptu social event. It was, they suspect, a turning point in an ongoing, choreographed relationship.
Strategic Player with Diplomatic Face
According to police officials, Danish first met Jyoti Malhotra in 2023 when she visited the High Commission for assistance with her visa. He not only helped—went beyond. He arranged a homestay for her in Pakistan, an act that now appears anything but standard.
What raises further concerns is that, police confirmed that Danish introduced Jyoti Malhotra to two important individuals—Shakir and Rana Shahbaz, who are believed to be Pakistani handlers. These meetings, officials say, turned a curious travel YouTuber into an intelligence asset.
While Danish avoided the spotlight, never seeking publicity, he had apparently built up an increasing network of contacts throughout India. His diplomatic immunity protected him from direct prosecution, but not expulsion. Earlier this month, the Ministry of External Affairs announced him persona non grata and asked him to leave India within 24 hours—a unusual and severe diplomatic action.
The deportation highlights the extent to which India takes his claimed activity seriously. As per sources, Danish had been quietly monitored for some time. Jyoti Malhotra’s case brought it all to the light.
What the Viral Video Tells Us?
Jyoti Malhotra’s vlog, now widely shared online, provides a glimpse into her experience at the High Commission. In March 30, 2023’s video, she laughs with Pakistani and even Chinese officials. She compliments decorations, and inquires with officials regarding visas. Her words are heard as she remarks about how her phone and personal information are accessed every time she goes there—a detail that now sounds brutally applicable.
Danish looks at ease in the clips, presenting her to visitors and citing her YouTube popularity. Jyoti Malhotra compliments the “excellent” hosting and exchanges warm banter with his spouse. To her fans, it had all the makings of a cultural bridge moment. To police, it was the tip of something much larger.
From Vlogger to Suspect
Jyoti Malhotra’s detention in the case under the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita shocked media and security communities in equal measure. A swift local court sent her into five-day custody after Haryana Police accused her of maintaining steady contact with Pakistani agents.
She allegedly admitted to her complicity, acknowledging that she had shared sensitive information via encrypted messaging apps. Her online trail traced unpleasant patterns. She had visited Pakistan four times, sharing descriptive videos from locations such as Lahore, Katas Raj Temple, and Anarkali Bazaar. Initially, her work seemed to be cross-border cultural research. But intelligence officers now suspect that those visits concealed an intelligence-gathering exercise.
Diplomatic Protocols and National Security
Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest and the expulsion of Danish are close on the heels of Op Sindoor, India’s retaliatory action against the Pahalgam terror attack. The incident reiterates an old fear: diplomatic missions can also serve as intelligence centers.
Though spying via embassies is not new, this situation points to a new development—digital content creators as potential targets of opportunity. Their big followings and global coverage give them the potential to inadvertently—or actively—become sources of information for foreign governments.
The controversy also poses uncomfortable questions: How do you weigh openness in diplomacy against the requirement for internal security? When do visa support and cross-cultural engagement become purposeful manipulation?
Diplomacy in Disguise
Danish is once again in Pakistan, beyond the reach of Indian authorities, and unlikely to be brought to justice here. But his record in India will probably prove more enduring. His exchanges with Jyoti Malhotra have revealed a blind spot in India’s diplomatic-security universe—one in which social media stardom, individual ambition, and soft-state power coalesce into serious national weaknesses.
This is more than a story of a diplomat and a vlogger. It’s a warning about how influence, hospitality, and encrypted talks can become a threat to national security—usually in broad daylight.
